Cialdini

Cialdini [34] provides a simple structure for
influence and asserts that much of the effect of influence techniques is
built-in below the concious level of most people. Some factors cross
all human societies, while others may be more affected by social norms
and culture. Cialdini discusses both the benefits of these natural
tendencies and their exploitaiton by professionals for gaining
compliance to desired behaviors. Regardless of how they are created,
these techniques are apparently pattern matching phenomena that operate
without regard to deep logical thought processes:

Area

Technique

Explanation

Recirprocation

If it costs more it is worth more

Raising the price on many items increases their sales because the buyers
are looking for high quality and associate it with price.

Authority

Experts know more than others

When someone
believes you are an expert, they will tend to defer to your opinions
regardless of the sensibility of those opinions.

Contrast

Contrast principle

Substantial differences
tend to be exagurated. Things are taken relative to context. After
having your hand in hot water, luke-warm water seems cool. To sell
something expensive, start by offering something more expensive and work
your way down.

Automaticity

Because

When you add a 'because'
followed by no new information, the chances of compliance increase
substantially.

Recirprocation

Reciprocation

People tend to
reciprocate any gifts. For example, even a meaningless gift will create
an obligation. Refusal to accept a return gift makes you less likable
because of the lack of opportunity to reciprocate.

Reciprocation and Contrast

Reject and retreat

This
invokes both reciprocation and contrast. You start by asking for
something big, then lower the request to something smaller. By reducing
your request, you are both giving a concession (reciprication leading
them to offer you something) and by lowering from a higher value you are
invoking contrast (the second request doesn't look as high next to the
first one).

Commitment and Consistency

Commitments are honored

If you can
generate a promise of some sort, there will be a strong desire to fulfil
it - no matter how much effort it takes or under what circumstances the
promise was given.

Commitment and Consistency

Consistency is highly valued

Once you
commit, your interpretation of inputs tend to support that committed
view.

Automaticity

Desire not to think

If it requires
thinking and they can back down to a simple rule of behavior, they will
try to do so.

Automaticity

Strong desire not to rethink

If it
requires rethinking, it introduces self-doubt and will be avoided unless
absolutely necessary.

Automaticity

Default decision process

Logic is only
used if there is a desire and ability to analyze the situation,
otherwise, pattern matching to known social behavioral patterns is used.

Commitment and Consistency

Small commitments lead to big
ones

Self-image is raised through making and keeping to commitments
and as a result, larger and larger commitments are made over time.

Commitment and Consistency

Active commitments are better
than passive ones

Commitments where you do something are far more
effective at gaining subbsequent compliance than those which are passive
promises.

Commitment and Consistency

Public image leads to self image

Written statements are given more credence than oral ones - both by
author and reader, there is a higher tendency to do something if you
write it down, public commitments are more often kept than private ones.

Commitment and Consistency

Increased complicance with
investment

Invested time and effort (sunk costs) forms increased
commitment; more pain involved increases commitment level (loyalty from
hazing, more pain more gain), less external return forces more
internalization of value (ownership and commitment follow), low-balling
works (get a commitment, create other supports for the decision, then
remove the original motivation and the commitment remains).

Commitment and Consistency

Consistency causes decisions

Even when remaining consistent seems foolish, people will choose
new reasons to stay with a decision because to do otherwise would cause
you to have to admit you were wrong and rethink your previous
commitments.

Social Proof

We interpret based on how others interpret

Laugh tracks work even if we know they are in use. Seeded collection
boxes cause increased donations. Popularity is taken as goodness, even
if known to be wrong.

Social Proof

Social proof replaces hard proof in
uncertainty

Fear is reduced by watching others like you not fear
it. Create uncertainty and generate social proof. Social proof works
better when they are like you.

Liking

We like saying 'yes' to people we like

Twice as
likely to say yet to people we like, referals from friends increase
likelihood of succes in sales, MCI 'friends and family' is 90% effective
because it 'does a friend a favor' to switch.

Liking

Physical attraction increases liking

We are more
likely to like someone we are physically attracted to and likely to
dislike someone we are not physically attracted to.

Liking

Similarity breeds liking

Similar dress, color,
background, behaviors, accents, lifestyle, interest, age, religion,
pllitics, and names are all examples of how similarities increase liking
and differences decrease liking, even when known to be falsehoods.

Liking

Compliments increase liking

Even when
compliments are known to be deceptions, people still like those who give
them - unless they go 'too far'.

Liking

More contact increases liking

Familiarity
improves likeing unless the experience is unpleasant.

Liking

Groups working together bond

Common cause
increases liking and friendship between group members and groups.

Liking

Groups in competition breeds enemies

Competition creates hostility and personal dislike.

Liking

Messages are attributed to messengers

When a
message is unpleasant, the messenger is disliked, while good messages
cause mesengers to be liked. The attributes of the message are
attributed to the mesenger by association.

Liking

Association enhances liking or disliking

People
are more receptive to compliance after a good meal. People associate to
their nation, city, race, etc. and like it when the things they
associate with succeed.

Liking

People tend to associate with things that enhance
their self-image

If they like themselves, they choose to associate
to things that are successful through the similarities to themselves.
If they have a negative self-image they tend to associate with things
that fail by seeking similarities with themselves.

Authority

Duty to authority is deeply embedded in culture

Higher authority overrides lower ones, appearance of authority
replaced real authority, titles lead to the appearance of authority,
higher deference to known authorities.

Authority

Appearances imply authority

Higher position
appears to be taller, taller as more important, importance seen as
larger, larger size implies more strength. clotinh and accoutraments
imply authority (as a function of situation), other trappings imply
authority.

Scarcity

Perceived scarcity increases perceived value

Similar to Shannon's information theory in which less frequently used
syntax elements have higher informaiton content. Scarce quantity, time,
availability all make things more attractive.

Scarcity

Loss is higher value than gain

In trading a
loss against an identical valued gain, the loss is more highly valued.

Scarcity

Desire to have what is restricted

Especially
effective against teenagers and young children, but also quite effective
against people of all ages. More effective if more restrictive.
Exclusivity yield desire to have.

Scarcity

Desire to have it "our way"

Even if 'our way'
is actually not 'our way', the fact of choice increases desirability.

Scarcity

Exclusive information is more valued

Secrets,
information that others do not have, restricted information, all seem to
make the information more valuable. Exclusive information about a
shortage has more effect on driving up perceived value that the shortage
itself.

Scarcity

Drops from abundance to scarcity increase value

More value is attributed to something if it is first possessed then
lost. For example, revolutions are far more likely after some political
gains followed by retrenchment.

Automaticity

automaticity can be enhanced

Incresed
rush, stress, uncertainty, indifference, distraction, and fatigue all
lead to less thoughtful and more automatic responses. Thus by adding to
these elements, we increase the effectiveness of all of these
techniques.

While Cialdini backs up this information with numerous
studies, his work is largely done and largely cites western culture.
Some of these elements are apparently culturally driven and care must be
taken to assure that they are used in context. Similar studies for
people interacting with and through computers have not been completed at
this time as far as we can tell but they would clearly be helpful in
understanding how people interact through and with computers.